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Topic: How to Refuse to give personal info (Read 34809 times)

Oh for sure. I think they can make it part of their required return policy. I do think it's a terrible policy and has made me avoid the place. This was a party supply store. I was returning unopened crepe paper. Even if I had defrauded the place, it would have been to the tune of $3.

It's not just about serial returners. In the event the store is audited, the auditors will spot check returns, and actually call customers who have made them to verify they were legitimate. This is to protect the store against employee theft/returns.

Oh for sure. I think they can make it part of their required return policy. I do think it's a terrible policy and has made me avoid the place. This was a party supply store. I was returning unopened crepe paper. Even if I had defrauded the place, it would have been to the tune of $3.

I can't remember ever having returned something where they didn't ask for my address... So if you ever come to Denmark, be prepared for it to happen

Amara, apparently our crooks are dumb? At least we caught some that way. I'm sure there were some who were smart enough, but many thought it was enough just to go to another store (it was a chain) not realizing that we shared information

I caught a thief/returner this way when I worked at a chain hardware store.

It was a large return (think about $250) and the policy for returns that large was to get ID, especially if the person doing the return did not have a receipt, as was the case here. The stuff she was returning was of the store's own in-house brand so there was no question it had come from one of our stores. I didn't think much of that, but when I went into the office to make a photocopy of the customer's ID (also a posted policy that customers had to consent to and were allowed to refuse) I noticed that the expiration date on the ID was 2015. This wouldn't have been anything unusual either, not today, but at the time this was in 2003. IDs where I am from expire and must be renewed every five years. Even if it was a brand new ID, its expiration should have been no later than 2008.

Fortunately my manager was right there in the office and I told her I suspected something here wasn't quite on the level. She agreed and told me to call the police while she stalled the customer. When the police showed up, the woman was arrested and the ID (which was, as I had suspected, fake) was confiscated.

If I'd just done the return without getting ID, the store would have been out $250 and I would ahve been in trouble.

I can see both sides of this debate. Most of the loyalty cards I have at various stores were opened when I was still in high school and we had a home telephone number. Now that this number has been ported to a cell phone that my father took when he left the family and I no longer live in my childhood home, I simply haven't updated the information. I have no problem with giving the cashier the phone number associated with my card to look it up, or for any other reason, because while I know it's a valid number, it's no longer directly tied to me. Same with the zip code, it's a valid zip code and is what they have on file for verification purposes, but I no longer actually live there.

On the other hand, I've never been to a store where they can't somehow get around any of the inputs that POS systems come up with to continue with the transaction without giving personal information. Even at the store side of where I worked, when we came out with new systems, the cashiers were told that they could always input a certain set of information if the customer chose not to give personal info out. There was actually a metric where we could see what percentage of customers we had information for, and what percentage of it was actually valid information. At least that way they could tell that we were asking and how many people didn't want to provide information, based on how many times the company approved set of false data was input.

I've worked in retail. We had to get addresses whenever people made a return in order to protect ourselves against serial returners. Though our clothes were cheap, we had a HUGE problem with people wearing the clothes and then returning them after the event was over. Repeat offenders could be caught once we had their address on file.

We asked for phone numbers where I worked, not addresses, and it wasn't a skippable screen. It was for spot-checking cashiers' behavior during transactions and to stop people from 'renting' our more expensive equipment for the duration of the return period.

I hated returns - everyone gave me the side-eye for asking for a phone number, and one woman completely lost her temper and started screaming: "I don't HAVE a phone number! I'm too POOR! I need the money back for this *&#%$!" That was when I knew I couldn't win. She finally gave me the time and temperature number, which, if the auditor had called, I would probably have gotten written up for not following proper return procedures.

Our store asks for zip code, but only when people order something. We require phone number, name and zip code. These are only used to look the person up, we never send out stuff. But it's mostly to avoid person A ordering bread every week, and never picking it up. If you have that info, you can catch them at it more easily. Or, you know, call and remind them about the pick up. Most people are grateful for it.

I folded and got the nearest stores card a while ago, it gets me 5% of their in-house line and we get all our dairies & eggs from the organic line. It's not much but I figured I would splurge on non essentials every once in a while.Anyway, they have my parents address (not in the same city), not my real first name and I always pay cash, so I'm not too bothered, and only did that because my SO is an anonymity freak. Funny how it's different from stores and countries, here I have to remind them that I have the card before I pay, and they never push it on people.

It's not just about serial returners. In the event the store is audited, the auditors will spot check returns, and actually call customers who have made them to verify they were legitimate. This is to protect the store against employee theft/returns.

Then it's an internal matter for the store to resolve. I have no part in that policy and how they deal with it is their problem. My personal information will not be part of their solution. When checking out and they ask, I just smile and say "no". If they insist or push the matter, I simply walk away.

The store-customer relationship boils down to this: They offer a product at a posted price. I have a choice to buy at that price, or not. I may take the product after providing the agreed-upon money. End of story and that's the extent of the required relationship. I do not owe them my personal information that they may conduct marketing activities such as sending me unwanted mailings or email.

Some may disagree, but I always provide bogus information to associate with "loyalty" cards, such as "123 Main St" and "(xxx) 555-1212". (There is no Main Street in my zip code) To me, the loyalty comes from them offering cents-off enticements and me purchasing there, thus allowing them to make a profit on my purchases.

You would be shocked and amazed at the complete picture that can be put together by data mining which ties together all of the 'breadcrumbs' that we spread around, and store loyalty programs feed into that. I don't want my insurance company calliing to say "Pat, you've been buying too much red meat lately and that's not healthy so we have to raise your rates" because they can access my shopping history. Carfax is an excellent example of this. Anyone can access records of what maintenance has been completed on my vehciles becase Carfax, Inc. has made agreements with numerous service facilities to gather and identify what wortk has been done on what vehicle identified by VIN. Is it really anybody's business how I maintain my car? Some might say yes, I say no, but Carfax is making a buttload of money doing it. And that's just one we know about.

It's not just about serial returners. In the event the store is audited, the auditors will spot check returns, and actually call customers who have made them to verify they were legitimate. This is to protect the store against employee theft/returns.

Then it's an internal matter for the store to resolve. I have no part in that policy and how they deal with it is their problem. My personal information will not be part of their solution. When checking out and they ask, I just smile and say "no". If they insist or push the matter, I simply walk away.

The store-customer relationship boils down to this: They offer a product at a posted price. I have a choice to buy at that price, or not. I may take the product after providing the agreed-upon money. End of story and that's the extent of the required relationship. I do not owe them my personal information that they may conduct marketing activities such as sending me unwanted mailings or email.

Some may disagree, but I always provide bogus information to associate with "loyalty" cards, such as "123 Main St" and "(xxx) 555-1212". (There is no Main Street in my zip code) To me, the loyalty comes from them offering cents-off enticements and me purchasing there, thus allowing them to make a profit on my purchases.

You would be shocked and amazed at the complete picture that can be put together by data mining which ties together all of the 'breadcrumbs' that we spread around, and store loyalty programs feed into that. I don't want my insurance company calliing to say "Pat, you've been buying too much red meat lately and that's not healthy so we have to raise your rates" because they can access my shopping history. Carfax is an excellent example of this. Anyone can access records of what maintenance has been completed on my vehciles becase Carfax, Inc. has made agreements with numerous service facilities to gather and identify what wortk has been done on what vehicle identified by VIN. Is it really anybody's business how I maintain my car? Some might say yes, I say no, but Carfax is making a buttload of money doing it. And that's just one we know about.

At my place of work when someone pays using a check, we must see their driver's license and have a valid phone number. The reason is to stop people from stealing and using another person's checks. Sometimes personal information is needed to help stop theft.

Logged

You start the game of life with a full pot o' luck and an empty pot o'experience... The object is to fill the pot of experience before you emptythe pot of luck.

It's not just about serial returners. In the event the store is audited, the auditors will spot check returns, and actually call customers who have made them to verify they were legitimate. This is to protect the store against employee theft/returns.

Then it's an internal matter for the store to resolve. I have no part in that policy and how they deal with it is their problem. My personal information will not be part of their solution. When checking out and they ask, I just smile and say "no". If they insist or push the matter, I simply walk away.

The store-customer relationship boils down to this: They offer a product at a posted price. I have a choice to buy at that price, or not. I may take the product after providing the agreed-upon money. End of story and that's the extent of the required relationship. I do not owe them my personal information that they may conduct marketing activities such as sending me unwanted mailings or email.

Some may disagree, but I always provide bogus information to associate with "loyalty" cards, such as "123 Main St" and "(xxx) 555-1212". (There is no Main Street in my zip code) To me, the loyalty comes from them offering cents-off enticements and me purchasing there, thus allowing them to make a profit on my purchases.

You would be shocked and amazed at the complete picture that can be put together by data mining which ties together all of the 'breadcrumbs' that we spread around, and store loyalty programs feed into that. I don't want my insurance company calliing to say "Pat, you've been buying too much red meat lately and that's not healthy so we have to raise your rates" because they can access my shopping history. Carfax is an excellent example of this. Anyone can access records of what maintenance has been completed on my vehciles becase Carfax, Inc. has made agreements with numerous service facilities to gather and identify what wortk has been done on what vehicle identified by VIN. Is it really anybody's business how I maintain my car? Some might say yes, I say no, but Carfax is making a buttload of money doing it. And that's just one we know about.

It's not just about serial returners. In the event the store is audited, the auditors will spot check returns, and actually call customers who have made them to verify they were legitimate. This is to protect the store against employee theft/returns.

Then it's an internal matter for the store to resolve. I have no part in that policy and how they deal with it is their problem. My personal information will not be part of their solution. When checking out and they ask, I just smile and say "no". If they insist or push the matter, I simply walk away.

The store-customer relationship boils down to this: They offer a product at a posted price. I have a choice to buy at that price, or not. I may take the product after providing the agreed-upon money. End of story and that's the extent of the required relationship. I do not owe them my personal information that they may conduct marketing activities such as sending me unwanted mailings or email.

Some may disagree, but I always provide bogus information to associate with "loyalty" cards, such as "123 Main St" and "(xxx) 555-1212". (There is no Main Street in my zip code) To me, the loyalty comes from them offering cents-off enticements and me purchasing there, thus allowing them to make a profit on my purchases.

You would be shocked and amazed at the complete picture that can be put together by data mining which ties together all of the 'breadcrumbs' that we spread around, and store loyalty programs feed into that. I don't want my insurance company calliing to say "Pat, you've been buying too much red meat lately and that's not healthy so we have to raise your rates" because they can access my shopping history. Carfax is an excellent example of this. Anyone can access records of what maintenance has been completed on my vehciles becase Carfax, Inc. has made agreements with numerous service facilities to gather and identify what wortk has been done on what vehicle identified by VIN. Is it really anybody's business how I maintain my car? Some might say yes, I say no, but Carfax is making a buttload of money doing it. And that's just one we know about.

I was simply providing another explanation for why some stores ask for name/address/phone numbers from customers seeking a refund.

The concern about data mining is legitimate though. This is an older article, but it really shows how much information can be gathered from the breadcrumbs we drop. The gist of the article is that Target Corp knew a teenager was pregnant before her parents did.